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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Excited About Tieks!

Happy Sunday Night!
About a week ago I took the plunge and purchased something AWESOME for myself with some Christmas money!   A few days later I received the most beautiful package in the mail...Tieks!!! If you haven't heard of them, you should go now and look at the beautiful art in the form of shoes I've seen in quite some time.  Seriously, go now!  Unfortunately, it took me three years to decide to commit to purchasing such a pricey pair of ballet flats for myself.  They start at $175 and go up to $295. All I can say now is...why did I take so long?!  These shoes truly are the the most comfortable, versatile shoe I've ever purchased.  You can run errands around town, wear them in the classroom, use them as a change of shoe, or wear them to church.
The beauties
I chose the Mustard Yellow ones for my first pair of Tieks.  I decided yellow is a neutral and I've had no problem wearing them with EVERY. SINGLE. OUTFIT.  In fact, I wore them every day last week except Thursday when it was supposed to rain.  (I prefer to keep my real leather shoes out of the rain.)  I love the bold, fun prints Tieks offers as well as the subtle neutrals for when you're feeling a little less rowdy.  The biggest decision you will have to make is figuring out how to buy one of each of the fabulous flats!  Seriously!!  I'm already trying to budget for my next pair so the hubs isn't worked up with yet another purchase of shoes.  I'm actually beginning to think I'm the shoe lady! You know what I like about shoes?!  They ALWAYS fit regardless of how much weight I gain in the winter months or lose in the summer months.  Shoes are a constant, guaranteed fit.  

Like I said, it took me a while to decide to spend the money on a pair of Tieks, but super happy I FINALLY did! I've thought long and hard about why it took so long and decided that spending the money on Tieks is clearly a no brainer!  My dad always says, "spend money on your feet because your feet make your money"!  

Classroom teachers...we are ALWAYS on our feet!  There is nothing more frustrating than to have to "break in" a new pair of shoes, get the blisters, and wait for our skin to toughen up so the shoes we've purchased are FINALLY comfortable to wear for MOST of the school day.  Breaking News!!!  I NEVER had to go through the torturous process of breaking in my Tieks!  They fit wonderfully right out of the box.  I was shocked and stoked about being spared from the hazing practice of "breaking in" another pair of shoes!
Support for the long days at school


The shoes are handmade and take approximately three days to make a single pair.  They are made in the USA and are 100% real Italian leather.  They have additional support in the shoe to make them the perfect shoe for a classroom teacher.  I tested them out all of last week and felt great at the end of each day as well as in the following morning.  The shoes fit true to size and have a little stretch as you begin to wear them.   I wear a size 9 in my daily shoe and I couldn't be more happy with my size 9 mustard yellow beauties.  Tieks spares no detail and provides AMAZING customer service if for some reason you need to return a pair.  


I REALLY should be asking myself why I spend so much money on my running shoes that I only wear 4-5 hours a week total!  The only people who see my running shoes are my running friends while we are running.  I'm pretty sure they aren't paying attention to the shoes on my feet and are more focused on the run that is in front of us.  I also don't wear my running shoes anywhere except to run.  My running shoes cost as much or more than the Tieks, yet I don't get nearly the exposure and wear with them that you can with the mustard yellow beauties.  I mean, even my compression socks run $50-$65 a pair...for socks!!  Seriously?! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my running gear AND it's necessary, but it definitely puts the price of Tieks in perspective.  Tieks are an affordable pair of shoes if you budget correctly and slow down on the Target shoes purchases...just sayin'.

The long and short of it is...

1.  Tieks can be affordable...lay low on a few Target trips and you're covered!  
2.  You get what you pay for!
3.  You're worth it...how much of your own money do you spend on your classroom each year?!
4.  Feet make your money so take care of your feet!
5.  It's fun to have something every once in a while people around you don't...right?!  



Free 2-Day Shipping

Beautiful Packaging

The details...

A handwritten thank you note

They fold up for easy travel

Free accessory bag to travel your Tieks


I hope you will consider giving Tieks a try!  The worst thing that can happen to you is you're like me trying to figure out how to purchase one in every print and color!  Like I mentioned earlier, they have free shipping both ways in case you decide to return a pair...I'm pretty confident you won't though! ;) Thanks for hanging in there!  Here's to you and your future pair of Tieks! Until next time....

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Oh, What a Week...Post SNOW DAY Craftivity Freebie

Happy Saturday Night!

Oh what a week!!  Thankfully, the snow has passed and we were able to go to school all five days this week.  Of course, the first thing on the minds of children was if they would have to make up the days.  I knew this would be the case, so I was prepared for the busy minds!  Prior to returning to school I found the cutest craft for winter from A Year of Many Firsts, but knew I would need an upper grade twist. After brainstorming with my team we came up with an opinion writing response to fit the craft perfectly. The long and short of it...our kids had a fabulous time crafting, organizing, and writing opinion paragraphs stating whether they should have a snow day or a delay on the school day. The thinking maps and writing piece was stapled to the bottom of the craft and hung in the hall for all to see.  You can grab your free copy of the writing prompt by clicking the picture below.  Thinking ahead to Spring...What craftivities do you do with your upper grade students?  Until next time...